Conor McNamara 2008
by Wicked R
Summary: I would say heavy AU. Christian sold his share to Michelle and left to follow...Julia.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Conor McNamara 2008  
Disclaimers: Ryan Murphy is the genius.  
Genre: a normal ordinary G/futurefic.

Rating: G.  
Summary/Set/Pairing: I would say heavy AU. Christian sold his share to Michelle and left to follow...Julia.

"Time to go Sean", Liz tried to convince her new old boss she'd followed to California before Michelle could fire her. She didn't think Sean would go home even if she did, but she wanted to give it a try. Sean came here to experiment with a new life without Christian, but she wasn't sure it was going in any good direction at all. Sean attributed his lack of social life, heck, any life to the demands of building a practice in the land of plastic surgery. Not wanting to pair up with unknown people he trained newly qualified surgeons instead hoping one day they'll become his partners. Liz however, theorized that by tutoring he unconsciously chose a role close to a being a father, something he couldn't do otherwise. Either way, work was piling up and that was exactly the way Sean liked it.

"I'll just check on the arson patient first. Any plans for the weekend, Liz?" Sean was hoping she would tell him of some festival or event in town he could use to forget he didn't actually want to think about anything to do with his life.

Liz knew Sean only gave her an excuse as to why he couldn't leave now, once she's out of sight he'll just engulf himself in some medical journal if nothing else comes up. No wander the couch in his office was so big he could sleep on it, cause he often did. "Have to put the car in for service tomorrow."

"Hope it goes well for you," Sean said good bye. Although they only really had each other, there was a line they'd never cross. If something was seriously pear shaped for one of them, only. It was a necessity friendship, nothing else.

Liz turned to go, but had to stop right before the door so she doesn't get knocked over by the storm entering the door.

"Dad?" A familiar voice called out.

"Annie? Is that you? I can't believe it," she hugged her before Sean could even climb out from his shocked state.

Annie. Standing a couple of feet from him. In a short red and white summer skirt, making it obvious how much she's grown for the last two years he hasn't seen her for. Even the round features of her face disappeared and she was so much like her mother now. He would've so much liked to see her grow up, but it wasn't to be. Julia told him they were moving around a lot to find a suitable place for the family and it was best to keep in touch through emails till eventually she didn't even tell him where they'd last moved. He knew it was on purpose and when he thought about going to find them he always remembered Julia didn't want to be found. And going into a custodial battle over it didn't seem right either, the kids were better off with their mother, especially Conor, he wouldn't even recognize him. And after all that effort being so secretive with him and when he already gave up hope he could really be his children's father now she shows up with them. She'd probably ran into difficulties and that was the big secret and now she'll be admitting she can't manage with them all by herself. Well, she always came back before and he had been counting on it till not so long ago...

"Where's your mother?" Sean finally asked after letting go of his daughter and having looked her all over.

"She didn't wanna come. She was afraid you would be angry."

"She's outside in the car then? With Conor?"

"No, she's back home in New Jersey."

"How did you get here then?" Sean asked confused.

"Christian's brought us. He should be here any minute, he's just parking the car."

"Christian??! And who's us?"

Annie didn't have to answer as the doors opened again, providing the response for the question.

Tbc


	2. Somaesthesia

Chapter 2: Somaesthesia

"Why is it so hard to park around here? Where do your patients park?" Christian rushed in.

"Ah, in the back, but I guessed you missed the sign for it because of the roadworks?" Liz smiled answering instead of Sean, who was too busy ogling the toddler in Christian's arms.

There was a major give away in recognizing him, but he was quite sure he would've anyway. There was a certain air about him, something familiar, something he had seen before when looking at himself as a child. While Annie had predominant Julia features, Conor had his. However, as children's appearance changes so many times till they grow up, it was maybe only temporary.

Christian put Conor down on his feet next to Annie to give a huge hug to Liz and Sean felt an unstoppable urge to go and touch his son. He knelt down before him and reached out, more unconsciously than anything else.

Conor shyed away, the corner of his mouth turning down, then retreated from him slowly, last steps bursting into a run till he reached Christian. "Daddy," Conor whined scared. He put his arms around his neck tight and burried his face into Christian's hair.

Sean slowly stood, awestruck. Christian had a similar reaction when everybody froze in the room as well. He knew Sean was going to be floored, but he didn't quite plan shocking him like that in the first minute.

"Conor calls you daddy?" Sean's voice was vibrating with anxiety.

"That's why mom didn't wanna come," Annie explained matter of factly as if it was of no great significance, even though she knew it was. Christian was a fun dad to have around and she didn't mind it one bit. At least he WAS around and not at work all the time. Not to mention he adored her step brother Wilbur and spent so much time playing with him and taught him that many things everybody thought he was older he was so knowledgeable about the world.

"And why did you come?" Sean blurted out, sensing the pain materialising and rising in his chest, but he suppressed it with confusion for the time being.

"Look, Sean," Christian sat down on one of the waiting area chairs and sat Conor on his knee, "we didn't want to burst in like this, but..."

"You and Julia." He stated nodding, admonitory.

"We couldn't tell you."

"Since when?"

"A few weeks after you left."

"You mean all the time? You all wrote to me, talked to me without mentioning this minuscule fact?? And how did you get Annie not to tell me on the phone? I bet you'd asked her."

"It all was because we didn't want you to hurt unnecessarily," Christian defended himself, "it all just happened. Julia called me while I was still in Miami because she didn't know where to find you in the first place. I said I can help and it just went from there. None of this was planned."

"None of this was planned...but now it's planned, isn't it? If I understand it right I can be hurt now cause it's necessary for some reason?"

"I finally managed to convince Julia Conor needs the surgery on his other hand and you're the best to do it."

"Just like that?" Sean stared at his ex partner's wedding ring.

Christian stood, waving Annie over, "I know you're angry and it's a lot to take in, that's why I had this speech and we came on Friday afternoon. We'll be at the Balsam Hotel. You can think about it and find us there and if so, we can do the surgery next week. We'd be staying a while after that too, cause Julia wants nothing to do with it. I'm giving you a choice Sean. Now that you know about us, there's no reason to hide from you. You can see the kids anytime, surgery or not. We promise you that."

Sean bit his bottom lip and closed his eyes, sitting down on the seat opposite the one Christian had been sitting on as the door shut behind him. His mind was muddle and he didn't even dare to try to straighten his thoughts out.

Tbc


	3. Complex Body Part

Chapter 3: Complex Body Part

Sean was walking down the hallway of Balsam Hotel slowly, hanging his head, but very nervously at the same time. It didn't take him much time to make up his mind to go to Christian, what was to decide, it was his children's welfare that was at stake. God knows what kind of father Christian's been to them and how much Annie knows about sexual relationships by now. He would do everything to help them, do the surgery of course, but first he wanted to talk to Christian, catch up with what's been happening to them, now that Julia decided he was allowed the information, trying to understand what was going on or simply pummel him into the ground till he passed out, the option he preferred most. For that reason he went over late in the evening, betting on the children to be asleep. He was relieved to see that light was coming from underneath the crack of the door, but he could hear no noise. The kids must be asleep, but Christian not. He momentarily had this vision he would find a babysitter instead and Christian would be out practicing his field sport on old hunting grounds, but then he knocked on the door anyway softly and uncertainly, his heart hammering in anticipation of seeing his sleeping children again. When the door started to open his pulse rate accelarated again. He knew he had no right to open up with a punch, Julia had left him and was free to do anything, with Christian or otherwise, but it would've felt so good. What he came to say was however entirely different.

Christian's eyes immediately lit up up when seeing him. He smiled a little embarassed, but happy, "you made it. I wasn't sure if you'd come today, but I knew you would. Come on in."

Sean nodded and stood awkwardly for a moment facing him as he stepped in. He didn't exactly know what to say after what he had found out today, but he followed his insticts and suddenly squeezed Christian's shoulder and pulled him into a hug, feeling a stange sense of ease as his arms wrapped around his back and pulled him close so tight he got breathless. For a few seconds, it was only their feelings for each other that mattered.

But when the embrace ended they were back to ill at ease. His only satisfaction in the matter was that Christian looked unquestionably uncomfortably squirming too, bouncing a little on his heels, "all right, enough greetings and stuff. Beer?"

"Sure. Uhm...I bought a three bedroom house when I arrived here with the intention of having the kids over sometimes...so I don't see why you would stay at a hotel." He wanted them under his roof before he really went on the offensive.

Christian opened the beer bottle for him, "Annie? Do you wanna go stay at your dad's?"

The young girl appeared in the doorframe of the adhacent bedroom, "that would be nice," she nodded politely, not sure how to be around her old dad.

"How come you're up so late princess?" Sean opened his eyes wide.

"Mum insisted I have to write the introduction to the school science project since I'll miss some classes anyway while I'm here," she shrugged. "But it's not bad. I can choose pirates! And Christian said you'll take me to the Maritime Museum while we're here to gather some facts for it."

"I thought it would be somewhere to start," Christian shrugged apologetically.

Sean wanted to answer, but there suddenly was some tam tam music coming from the bedroom and she ran off.

"That's her phone," Christian explained, "she's so into this Jack Sparrow guy."

"She's not in love witth a boy from school already?"

Christian laughed, "you know you should go watch a film occasionally. Her ringtone is from the pirates of the Carribean. Fourth installment, huh? But she's pretty popular at school, and not just with girlfriends."

"Is she studying good?"

Christian smiled again, "she's all right, but not as perfect as you'd like her to be."

Sean couldn't take the attitude anymore, not matter how much he wanted it to go peacefully, especially that Annie could hear them. He didn't need to be reminded every minute how he wasn't part of their lives and how Christian was. "Don't be such a crack. You destroyed..."

Christian walked over to the bedroom door and shut it, "do you know I wasted twenty years of my life being considerate with you? So fuck you Sean. Does it even matter to you I patiently waited decades till I can have Julia back? I never made one move taking you into consideration. So don't give me that shit. You took Julia away from me at the university and you know it. I never wanted to take your family away. In fact, here, I just brought them back for you, see? I didn't mean to hurt you Sean. And that was why everybody else was hurting for so long."

"So now you gonna spit it into my face that I could never be happy with Julia because the whole time she was in love with you?"

Christian sighed and leaned back. There was no point to agreeing with the obvious. "Sean, we were brothers. That was what I was supposed to do as your brother, as your best friend. No matter what the consequences."

Sean dug into his hair half groaning, half growling, "just tell me how it happened..."

tbc


	4. Colorfast

Chapter 4: Colorfast

Christian took a last look back at the practice, ignoring the sign Troy/Landau, his mind's eye seeing the old Mcnamara/Troy sign. His love for Michelle was dead. It wasn't fair on her to judge her, she was acting out of circumstances doing all she had done and he didn't judge her. People did terrible things to survive, he had done direful things to survive. But he must've loved somebody who didn't exist, cause Michelle wasn't who he had thought she was. Just a few weeks ago he was so in love, then it all snapped like a twig the same way as it happened with Kimber. He had been desperately looking for love, looking to get married before it was too late. He was getting older and running out of time to learn to know people and handle relationships. It was like a curse from way back from his childhood. Perhaps his mother cursed him the moment he was born. He had no idea what to do with his life now or if he should even bother trying to find a mother for Wilbur. He could've taken the easy option and followed Sean, continued with the way of life of him always being Sean's shadow, and under his protection at the same time. But Sean wanted away from him, so could he go after him?

"Christian! Good, you're still here," Linda called after him, "there's a phone call for you. In your office." With that she disappeared.

Christian wanted to oppose, saying there was nothing else that could've concerned him there, but there was nobody to complain to.

"What's happening? Where are you going?" Julia's voice startled him as she ranted on, "I called cause I wanted to talk to Sean and he left already? I thought he'd still be there till next week. And now you? You can't just vanish like that. You have to tell me where I can find you," she panicked.

"Find me? Why would you need to find me? From the way you said good bye, oh wait a minute, from the way you didn't say good bye when you left and vanished yourself I didn't think that would be an issue. But I'll surely let Sean know where I am, once I figure it out myself."

"Oh, why do you and Sean always have to be a package deal? What if I don't wanna ask him? And what is this about this you dunno where you're going?"

"You wanna tell me you don't know why I'm lost?" Christian said reprovingly. What I want to do with life is stick with you, as always, but you have given up on that a long time ago. Last year you still remembered that, this year you have compeletly ignored me. Things get complicated. "And you're the last one who should counsel me about what to do with my life. You lost that right when you told me to get over you and realise that things couldn't go back."

"Listen...I'm sorry about Michelle. I'm sorry it didn't work out for you again. I am. What's happening with us Christian? Why do our lives fall apart?"

Christian wasn't in the mood to talk about it though. If Julia could just take the last twenty years back and go back to kiss him on the lioness statue on university campus and if he could forgive her for rejecting him... "Why did you call Sean? Perhaps I could forward the enquiry. Since you're so unwilling to talk to him."

"I'm not unwilling. It's just hard. Knowing every word I say is hurting him. But I couldn't live like that anymore. He made the decisions, I had no real freedom. I wasn't even taken into account as a person who could make decisions. And I admit, I reinforced that in his mind, financially dependent on him most of the time...anyway, I can't chack on Gina from here. I wanted to see if she had at least some of the money yet."

"Gina? You're joking, right? You need money?" If Julia needed anything, he would provide. Like any husband. Not because of Sean, because he was still in love with her, as he has always been under the surface. No matter how much it hurt. It was partly why no other woman would do.

"Not your money Christian and not Sean's either. My last business venture went well and I thought why not again?"

"You did surprise me there. You know, we didn't believe you could do it." He admitted, as a peace offering. His last chance to keep this family as his in some way before they all lived in different parts of the country sending pointless christmas cards to each other only. He had to open the situation up. A lot. "In fact, I don't even understand why you wanna do it. Myself, I wish anything more than having to fear bankrupcy again. Responsiblity, all that crap, not for me, not again," he continued casually, more on a light note to disguise the earlier angry tone. It didn't even occur to him his usual best tacic to try to seduce her.

"Don't tell me you wanna work for someone."

"Look, I have no idea what I'm gonna do apart from taking a long vacation for a while and spending it with Wilbur, getting to know each other again. And I woudn't mind my money working for me in some way till then. I'm saying I wanna hear more about this investment I'm making with you."

"Really? Over the phone? It's a little difficult explaining..."

"How about we start the vacation over there? Where are you exactly?"

tbc


	5. Exit

Chapter 5: Exit

"There's a big playpen next to Conor's bed. Wilbur can sleep there," Julia showed the way to Christian carrying his son, who had fallen asleep in the car on the way there.

Christian held the sleeping boy for a moment more just looking at him, before putting him gently into the pen without waking him up, then stepped over to look into the cot at Conor. "He will be loved Julia, no matter what."

A bittersweet smile flashed across Julia's lips and disappeared again. Nodding and taking one more coolheaded look at the children safe and sound in there, she pulled Christian out the room as quietly as she could, closing the door over behind them, but not compeletly so they could hear their cries. "I missed you," she hung onto him, closing her eyes, fighting back the tears that threatened to spill, taking comfort in him holding her. It was so hard without a man, without a partner. She was so wrong when she thought she could do it alone. She thought she was much stronger now than when she tried it last time, but the issue wasn't about being strong. It wasn't the raising children on her own, it wasn't the financial support, but the emotional one, especially when she felt like she was battling with the whole world for Conor to be accepted as he was, something that Sean would never understand. She had learnt about her feelings too. And now this was the safest she felt since...well, ever since they were last allowed an unrestricted hug. She married Sean because he was good husband material, he was supposed to have a promising future and she fell in love with the sense of security. Yet, Sean could not give that to her to the fullest. And she didn't even know about it herself until she was far away from both of them, that was when she realised she missed Christian more than Sean! She spoke again, "and I'm so very sorry." She didn't say why, but was looking up at him dejectedly hoping he would know she was apologising for everything, for not giving in to their love. She would've not been surprised if he would've been too hurt to get involved with her again, even if they had a sexual encounter.

Christian looked down at her, his eyes wide with astonishment, he was surprised by the desperate honesty in her voice as she tried to make it up to him. He couldn't even believe she was apologising for anything big, maybe it was just something trivial after all. He wasn't sure how to respond, but the hopefulness in his eyes gave him away. "I missed you too," he whispered, as to not to wake the children up, seeming like the safe answer, his lips close to her ear, his breath gently nuzzling aganst it.

It wasn't even a proper touch, but that one sense of touch was all she needed for her senses to reawaken to him. She felt herself rising. Every skin contact made her think she could touch the sky. This predisposition for each other, that was why they usually steered far from one another, they had to because otherwise the floodgate of emotions would've opened and they would've drowned in a wanting way beyond the physical. She clung to him, they were allowed to this time. She had past the point Sean was in the picture and it wasn't as if Christian was going to get married the next moment and his friendship with Sean seemed to have stalled as well.

Locked in the embrace, bound by long supressed emotions, Christian's lips moved down to her neck while his hands moved up to her hair. He was aching to kiss her properly and he wasn't sure if he was allowed to, but she acted first doing just that hungrily, her hands running all over his body to settle by attacking the belt on his trousers. She sighed deeply when she reached his erection. She squeezed it in obvious pleasure.

Christian raised his eyebrows at such sudden and apparent appreciation of his manhood, "you did miss me, huh?"

"Yes..." She managed submerged in the sensation of him slowly pulling her blouse to the back so he could drop it to the ground and trace her breasts and sides freely. "Oh God," she whispered, locking her leg with his tigh, leaning back.

He put his hands under her and carried her to the sofa, something Sean could hardy do for she was that much taller than him. Julia reached up and started to undo the buttons on his shirt.

Christian helped her and took it off, exposing his body to her. He gave her a gentle kiss before climbing over her. Further foreplay was unecessary as they could no longer wait for the consummation of all that tension between them. His body was burning as if with fever and the medicine was her.

She lifted her hips, eager to join him, her kisses as rough as his, incapacitated by desire, having to do what her body and soul told her to. She was pulling him as close as she could. In less than a minute he plunged into her wet and ready privates and she left reality plummeting back to a little campus dormitory, hundreds of miles from there. She only had one more conscious thought before her mind spiralled out of control with her body. When they were finished, she had to talk to him about that day when she chose Sean over him, to remind him of something else that happened there other than her betraying him, so that she and Christian could finally have a future together.

tbc


	6. Scores On The Doors

Chapter 5: Scores On The Door

Christian and Julia was lying naked in the dorm bed together, pleasurably tangled into each other, incredibly bewildered by the deep ocean in the other's eyes, forgetting they were supposed to get up and study for the exams. Over the last months they had formed this habit of spending hours like this without uttering one word, sometimes after sex, or even without it whatsoever. He was too much of a coward to open his heart and talk about his emotions, past or a possible future, but he never felt so close to anyone before or after than during those times. He treasured each and every second of it and he had no desire to let go of her, but the a few minutes after hearing the church bells he finally realised what time it was. "Sean's coming. You know how he's never late," he pulled his hand out from under her and turned to the bedside cabinet, intent on having a relaxing smoke before he really had to get up.

"What? I thought he moved out to another dorm cause he couldn't stand your late night lifestyle," Julia looked at him appalled and groped for her summer dress.

"I need him Julia. My grades went down since he moved and...hey, where are you going? He knows you're here!"

"What?!? Christian! Me and you, it was supposed to be a secret. I can't have people telling my mother what a slut I am sleeping around."

"I dunno why you're bothered about your mother. You're a grown girl aren't you? And from the way Erica weighed me up the other day, I'm quite sure she wouldn't be against some bedroom merriment. If she opposed to you and me she might just be jealous you know," he smirked.

"Don't talk like that!" Julia threw one of the anatomy books out the way and searched under the bed for her shoes as a sign of her annoyance, wanting to leave, "I can't believe you sold me out when we agreed nobody will ever know what we do in this room!"

"You just want to keep it a secret because you know how Sean's got the hots for you and you wanna keep your options open."

"That's right Christian. I have to keep my options open. And I can only do that if my reputation is not like yours! If I am associated with you in any way..."

"Cool it Julia, I haven't told Sean anything."

"You just said he knows I'm here!"

"Yeah, we were gonna study genetics. I thought you had a problem with that subject matter?" Christian offered while slipping his trousers on cause they could hear footsteps. This was how he informally paid for Sean's services, asking girls over to study, who came for him, but ultimately Sean could have some fun with them too. This time, Julia was the price, to Sean's explicit request. Little did Christian know, that they'll all pay a huge price for this later as from this day on Julia will call herself Sean's girlfriend, and then, wife very soon as they would have sex later on that day and Julia will think it's his baby she's pregnant with.

"On Sunday?" Julia wondered.

Ready for the exchange, Christian stepped to the door and opened it before Sean could knock on it. "We've been waiting for you."

"What is it? You look like shit. Are you tired again?" Sean asked. It was the truth, but also the way Christian was supposed to pass on studying and Sean could be together alone with Julia. Afterwards he would come back and properly tutor Christian on all course subjects.

"Yeah, you can see I'm not all that up for it today. I better crash instead."

"What about you Julia?" Sean asked.

"I would be grateful if you could help me," Julia smiled at him.

"Over lunch at my place maybe? So Christian can sleep."

"No problem," Julia moved towards the door, giving Christian killing looks. She knew him as much to realise this was a set up, but she didn't mind. If she had Sean on her side she would never have any problems with course materials and he would be very reliable as a boyfriend. "I'l just write that phone number down for you," she turned back to Christian feeling apprehensive and picked up the book she previously threw to the side.

Christian didn't understand what she was on about, but remained silent and only looked at the first page after the door closed behind them.

"I will always love you Christian, and not somebody else, no matter what happens next. Julia."

Christian closed the book in annoyance. Now he'll have to rip that page out, even though he needs it. Cause according to their aggreement, nobody could know about their relationship.

Tbc


	7. Promiseland

Chapter 7: Promised Land

"Christian?"

"Hm?" He lifted his head up from her chest, put his weight on his elbow and looked at her.

"I need to talk to you."

Christian groaned and sat up on the floor where they'd eventually ended up as the sofa was too small for the two of them to lie on, "I knew you were going to spoil the moment."

"You don't even know what I was going to say."

"Do we ever say anything to each other that makes us happy?"

"In this case it depends on whether you can remember..."

"Remember what Julia?"

She sighed. If she wasn't going to blurt it out she was going to corner the subject forever, so she just skipped to the point, "this: I will always love you Christian, and not somebody else, no matter what happens next. Julia."

"Wait," Christian said, reaching for his trousers. Something rattled in his pocket, but then he pulled out his vallet and opened it at the front. There was a photo there with him, her and Matt from a few years back. He pulled it out and behind it there was a crumpled, browned and bleary bit of paper, folded up. He opened it and showed it to her, "you mean this?"

Julia's eyes went wide, "I can't believe you kept it all those years."

"I was kidding myself on it was true."

"But it is true, Christian. It is true. I was madly in love with you back then, but I couldn't marry someone who sold me out to his best friend, didn't have a cent and by the way didn't ask me to marry him!"

"I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."

"But you never said so Christian! How was I supposed to know when I saw you with a different girl every day!"

"So? What if I did say? You know it would've not changed anything. And what does that matter now? Why do we have to talk about this?"

"Because I was hoping it wasn't too late yet."

Christian looked at her seriously, long and careful, making her cringe under his look. If he was going to reject her, it was fine, at least she had tried to pay for her mistakes.

"Well, let's see," Christian started, making her wonder what kind of blaming list was coming up, "selling best friend topic, what are we doing now you think? Cents, I have those and asking you to marry, I've not done that before and presently I only have the ring on me I asked back from Michelle and I didn't think you would want that..." Christian laughed, "I've done this twice so far over the last year, but will you marry me?" There was no more time to waste if she at all meant it, they wasted enough of it already.

Julia was tongue-tied for a few seconds as the whole encounter went better than she'd expected. "I dunno what to say."

"Oh, for God's sakes Julia, it was you who forced this. What do you want then?" He said irritated.

"Sorry. Sorry. I mean...I belong to you, I always did, but making it official? What about the kids? Sean? Finances?"

"Where there's love, there's a way? If there's no love you can do all you want, you won't manage? Didn't you learn that yet?" He said with that cockeyed expression that she loved.

"Wow, a huge family, three children right away..."

"At least we don't have to play catch up and cry over the years lost..."

"Sean will not talk to us anymore..."

"Do you want to marry me or not?"

"Yes, I do," she looked into his eyes and knew that everything would be okay cause of the firmness of purpose and love that emanated for them.

They didn't dare to move for a while, each fearing the dream would shatter and Christian still didn't understand the course of events. It could have not happened by chance. She had planned all this, even if he did surprise her with the proposal right away a bit! "When you phoned, you did know Sean wasn't there at the practice, right?"

tbc


	8. Trouble In Paradiso

Chapter 8: Trouble In Paradiso

Sean had his face buried in his palms, leaning forward, supporting his elbows on his knees. He knew Christian was going to be honest with him, cause if he decided he was going to share something he never did it half way. All or nothing it always was with him. But this...this was brutal, shattering any image he ever had about Julia. Maybe that was exactly what Christian's intention was. And the kids...Julia herself had been wondering how the kids will take this turn of events, now he wanted to find out how they really did.

"Christian? Mom's on the phone. She wants to talk to you," Annie had come into the room in the meantime unnoticed by Sean.

"Now?" Christian gave a little harrassed sigh, "did you tell her we are here with your dad? It's kinda not the right moment."

Annie nodded, a few times, "yeah. But I also told her you've been taking those pills a lot..."

"What? What did I tell you Annie about not worrying your mom?!" Christian sounded annoyed, angry even and Sean didn't like the tone of voice he used with his daughter at all. And what pills? Does Annie know about drugs now? He wanted to oppose, but then he froze. The way Christian sounded was exactly how a father would've sounded.

"Do you want your baby sister to be born early?" Christian continued.

Annie pursed her lips, "mom told me to take care of you."

"Now I'll have to talk to her," Christian disappeared in the bedroom to get the phone.

"What's going on?" Sean asked Annie. He had to know some details before he could do anything.

"Mom asked me to take care of Christian while we're here and tell her if there's something wrong with him, just like I always do."

"And what's wrong?"

"He's ill."

"What like?"

"Uuh like...chronic disease dyver...dever...thing. He had two major ab...ebs..."

"Surgeries?"

"Aha. Mom's at work a lot and I'm the one who's in charge over the kiddies when Christian's got an episode. But if he's really not well I'm meant to call Matt."

"Matt?!? In Miami?"

Annie shook her head, "Matt stays in New York with Kimber and little Denise. I'm an aunt! Isn't that just hip? Denise is such a cutie, she wants to steal my dresses! Already!"

"What? When did they move there?"

"Not so long ago. Some business thing."

"Matt and business?" Sean shuddered, the surprises just kept coming.

"He did have a little part in it," Christian supplied, entering the room, "Annie, mom says pyjama time, hurry up. But the main reason why we don't really have to work just now if we don't want to is the latest addition to the Kimber doll. Did you not check the website? I thought you maybe would. We sold thousands of copies of the "How To Make A Kimber Doll Happy Manual." I wrote seven chapters and Matt added one. Of course it's not really about dolls, so..."

"What does the church say about that?"

"Nothing, cause the venture's under my name now, Kimber and Matt only get profits."

"Oookaay. And what does Julia say about this? Kimber thing?!?"

"Kimber and Julia are business partners. They're running a modelling agency for size 12s and above."

"A what?" His shock and astonishment could've looked amusing if the circumstances would've been different. For a moment he stared at Christian, not daring to ask any more questions. Any of this information was too much for him, let alone all at the same time. So he just stood, eager to run away from the situation where his head was exploding, "see you tomorrow morning then, I'll come to pick you up," he added to at least have one minor say in any of this.

Tbc


	9. I'm Back Again

Chapter 9: I'm Back Again

Sean was sitting at his desk at home trying to ignore all the noise Christian, Annie and Conor were making playing hide and seek and messing all his stuff up in every wardrobe at the same time. With all the good intentions of getting reacquintened with the children, he had to be serious about what he's given his agreement to and get ready for the procedure they were going to perform on Conor tomorrow. In fact, Christian was supposed to familiarize himself with the what he had to do as well and that raised a question in him. He stood up, cornered his desk and set off to..."ready or not, here I come!"

"Great, dad," Annie jumped at him immediately, "Conor's usally very easy to find, but not when Christian helps him hide!" By the excitement in her voice, this even seemed to energize the otherwise calm and collected Annie maybe because it was new territory. "We need more people, since Denise's not here!"

Sean sighed. He did need to find Christian cause they'd practically avoided each other all weekend and there were some things that had to be discussed. He didn't want to spoil the game and upset the kids either, but this was just the beginning of a real frustrating game.

But then he realised Annie was just happy for Conor and not because of the game, "I'll show you how to do it. You go around, pretend you're looking and not hearing him talking to Christian," she whispered, "he loves not being found for a while. I'm looking behind the couch..." Annie said loudly, "he's not here!"

"I'm looking in the bathroom," Sean joined in, "he's not here!"

"Tada!" Conor appeared in the hall with a mischeivous grin. Christian followed, shaking his head.

Sean took the opportunity right away, "Christian, could you come over to my room?"

Christian raised his eyebrows briefly and pouted. He didn't like the sound of that, "Annie, could you watch your brother for a little while?"

Sean closed the door behind them, "I'll leave you to yourself to study the surgical process," he arrogated, "but before that I need to know if you'll be able to assist me."

"First of all, I studied the surgical operation at home to the nth degree and detail and that's when I decided I'd come to you instead. I could actually do it all myself, but Julia trusts you more with these things. And second, why the hell would I not be able to assist you?"

"What's with these pills you're taking?"

"You think they're drugs?"

"Annie told me you had some sort of disease, so for the sake of the operation I need to know if I can rely on you, if you are not too unwell to perform surgery."

"You think I would be here if I was?"

"How many times I needed to sort some mess of yours up? No, Christian. If you want something from me after all this, you have to tell me the truth and all the time and before! Something happens and not after."

"All right, fine, let's get this over with shall we?" He said angrily while unbuttoning his shirt to reveal two surgery scars, one quite recent, "chronic diverticular disease. Acute faze was dealt with using the two stage surgical approach," he said quickly as if he would've been talking about someone else, "and there was another single operation in which the diseased bowel was resected as treatment for a fistula secondary to diverticulitis. You want my medical files too?"

Sean winced. "I'm sorry," he said and he meant it. Seemed like Christian didn't only have fun over the last couple of years. Despite having had almost all of this information previoulsly from Annie, he never really thought about it much. Christian was guilty of taking his wife and the wall of anger stopped there, not letting anything else in. "Uhm...if you need anything, if you suddenly don't feel well..." He added genuinely.

Christian however, took it the other way, "I'll be sure to let you know," Christian said sarcastically. He turned back from the door for a moment, "Julia was free to take, but do you think I don't live with the guilt every day?"

tbc


	10. Fitted Out

Chapter 10: Fitted Out

"Julia? It's me Sean. Annie gave me her phone so I can dial your number?"

"Sean? Is Conor okay?"

"Yes, everything went fine as you must know? Although...I can't really calm Conor down all that well. Even when he's asleep he wakes up scared all the time. I think it would be best if you came over here. Can you?" He meant how far she was on with the pregnancy, but didn't feel like even mentioning the baby.

"But...how? Christian was meant to deal with that?"

"What kinda mother butts out when their child is in pain?"

"Sean, it's none of your business how I deal with Conor's condition. But if you must know we thought if he sees my insecurity about the operation and how I stress out over it, Conor would suffer more. Where's Christian?"

"Christian's in no condition to watch MY child, Julia! I think he's trying to hold out till Conor's not in any pain any longer, but it's dangerous to play with diverticulosis! And nobody tells me a thing! We're not exactly best pals just now, you know??! Could you tell me what on earth am I supposed to do AFTER the develops abcesses or a peritoneal inflammation? I need to know what are his usual symptoms, what's his condition, how bad is it?!"

"Why do you think there's something wrong?"

"Julia, I can tell fine when there's something wrong with Christian. He looks sick and every time I ask he tells me to go to hell! You need to talk to him!"

"I...I can't from here. You see, there were a lot of complications at the beginning of my pregnancy and...I can't get this "me needs protected" out of his head. I believe he'd kill himself over it. And that attitude's supposed to make me all calm and ready for the birth!! Sean...please..." She couldn't quite gather herself to ask him for help, she was too embarassed to after all the suffering she had ultimately caused him.

"Tell me what to look out for."

"Count his pain killers. That's what I do...left sided pain. He'd be too queasy to eat, that kinda thing. You're the doctor!"

"Just get yourself on a plane here as soon as possible!" Click.

Tbc


	11. More Or Less?

Chapter 11: More Or Less?

"I think Christian's in there with Conor," Sean pointed to one of the bedroom doors. Taking the long uncomfortable silences on the way to his house from the airport was bad enough and Sean didn't feel like he could watch Christian meeting Julia. They should just do it by themselves, whatever they were doing, he didn't even want to think about it.

Julia sighed out long in relief. She preferred this scenario as well, she would've been feeling weird in Sean's presence talking to Christian, let alone touching him. She opened the door to find her husband with earphones, quietly watching telly as not to wake Conor up.

That was why he didn't notice her at first, but then he quickly got to his feet and approached her, "what...what are you doing here?" He wrapped his arms around her, holding her, letting her hold him for a minute, then took her by the hand and pulled her to the bed Conor was sleeping in, "I told you the surgery went fine. He's sleeping a lot so that he's not in pain, but otherwise, when he's awake he plays with his dinosaurs just the same. This mummy thing you do! You didn't have to come here!"

Julia watched the child for a minute, then hugged Christian from the side, sliding her hand on his usually sore area, "are you okay?" She asked, obviously concerned.

"Yes, I'm alright," he asserted, then looked into her eyes so that his eyes could tell her he was telling the truth.

Julia felt herself immersing in that bluish green sea, her lips were looking for his giving him a sweet, little hot kiss. He kissed back harder, frustrated when she pulled away. "Are you sure you're okay?" She said looking at him carefully.

"Do you want proof? I'd give you evidence if you wouldn't be that pregnant," he said with a mischeivous grin as he moved his hand up her arm and lovingly played with her hair. He hugged her back from the side as the baby would'be made it difficult to snuggle close facing each other, "you can feel that can't you?" He pressed his waking erection to her side.

Julia giggled like a teenager. Just being with Christian was worth a whole hour of relaxation and yoga, making her at ease with the world and contact with Christian's penis could still do all sorts of things to her, "we could maybe settle for one of your famous massages. My back didn't like it without you." Although she wasn't sure she could resist and stay by the massage and not go further. Her breath deepened as his hands moved down to start that massage by her breasts.

"Just your back? Don't tell me you came all this way cause you were worried about me."

She opened her eyes and smiled at him, "oh no, don't stop."

"Do you kinda remember this is Sean's house? And he's probably just outside the door."

"We'd better just have a toe sucking sex session then. We haven't done that before..." Julia joked.

Christian raised his eyebrows, "not my kinda thing these days...what did Annie tell you to make you come all this way?"

"Not Annie, Sean said..." She ran her hands over his chest.

"Sean? I'll kill him!"

"You can't kill him just because he was concerned about you!"

"But I can kill him because of dragging you down here! I can kill him for not taking Annie to the maritime museum and I can kill him for not letting Conor have his favourite chocolate drink. Fine, it might make him feel sick with the narcotic, but he wanted it so much! I had enough of Sean, Julia."

"Then why don't we leave? Conor's okay to travel now, isn't he? I don't wanna have my daugher in a city I don't know at all!"

"We can't...I promised Sean he can spend some time with the kids."

"We'll just invite him over. Then the ball's in his court."

"Balls? What balls? Does Sean have balls at all?"

tbc


	12. Halcyon

Chapter 12: Halcyon

Ringing the bell, Sean was looking very nervously at the large family house in front of him. He would've thought Christian and Julia would've needed a lot of room for the four children, but comparing to Christian's old condo, this was pretty much like a shock.

"Dad!" Matt opened the door, sprung up to hug him and clung onto him, pulling him inside.

"You stay here too?" Sean asked confused, bumping into a double buggy in the hall. By the size of the house, he wouldn't have been surprised if Matt's family fit in there too, even if he couldn't imagine Julia and Kimber under the same roof.

"No, no," Matt pushed the buggy out the way and pulled Sean further inside the house, "we thought we come over for a family dinner, just for you," he said as a little girl jumped into his arms.

"Wow, you've grown into pretty little princess too!" Sean tried to engage in conversation with Denise.

"This is your grandpa, you can't remember him, cause you were tinzy when you last saw him," Matt explained his daughter.

"Nice to see you made it grandpa Sean," Christian gave his hand to his friend outside in the garden, where Matt had led him and where everybody was.

"How come I'm the grandpa?" Sean asked Matt when Christian turned away to place his baby daughter into a moses basket, out the way.

"You know dad, Christian's...just so Christianlike you see. Besides, Kimber wasn't too keen on the papa thing."

"Annie I got you a present," he pulled a pirate hat out his bag when he saw the young girl approaching.

"Wow, cool! Thanks dad! Look mom, it's just like Jack Sparrow's," she shouted over. Julia acknowledged her, nodding and him waving at him, while busy talking on the phone.

"Wilbur! Denise! Conor!" Annie round them up, "we're playing a pirate game!" she announced, "you're the crew, I'll tell you what to do and you say aye, aye, captain Jack Sparrow..."

"Nice present, Sean," Christian touched Sean's shoulder, "one off perfect, cause that would be a locket with Johnny Depp's picture in it, just so you know," he said quietly, "could you help me with the barbecue? Or in fact, why don't you do it all by yourself...this dad stuff, bit ho-hum at times..."

"Tell me about it...so, how your stomach's doing these days?" Sean asked, already expertly turning sausages.

"Great Sean, just great, in fact I was thinking...I haven't been working for over two years for one reason or another and it's time I did something. I don't have much money left, certainly not enough starting up a practice just by myself so...how you feel about coming over here and staying close to your kids, so it's not only holiday time you see them?"

"You're talking about a practice together? You and me?"

"Is that such a strange idea?"

"I dunno how you imagine this Christian. What does Julia say? Cause as it looks to me she keeps running away from me. And other than that...me coming here for dinner, in your house, to your family...what's next? You tell me I'm like a family member, but I know I'm not really, I'm just your businnes partner? Doesn't that sound familiar from somewhere?"

Christian stepped closer, "we love you Sean. About what happened in LA, it was a stressfull time and I was sore a lot..."

"I knew you were!"

"It was the best I could do under the circumstances. Julia wanted Conor's surgery finished with before the baby was born...what I'm trying to say is that...you know," he put his arm around Sean's shoulders, "we, the two of us, can be where we were with each other ever before, all you have to do is agree...I need you Sean, I so need you. Do you think I could raise two kids and run a business on my own?"

"Ne'er!" Sean did find Christian's position kind of amusing.Christian and his clan all around him. And the only thing missing was apparently him. Was worth sitting out what this non sense family man Christian situation could turn into.

"Well then? You got a brother begging. I must sound rather ridiculous. Just give me one of those nods of the head that means you're considereing it and then it's almost certain you'll agree?"

"Lotsa work to do in New York, huh?"

The End.


End file.
